Dover resident meets Pope Francis

“Absolutely amazing” was how Giovanna Rion of Dover described her brief face-to-face meeting Wednesday with Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square in Rome.

Jon Baker TimesReporter.com staff writer @jbakerTR

"Absolutely amazing" was how Giovanna Rion of Dover described her brief face-to-face meeting Wednesday with Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square in Rome.

Rion, a senior at Walsh University in North Canton, presented the pope with a handmade, heart-shaped card from students of the university who are studying in Italy. It happened the same day that Francis was named Time magazine's Person of the Year.

"I couldn't believe it was happening to me," she said Wednesday night from Rome.

She and another Walsh student, Kathleen Wagner of Akron, designed the card, which was signed by all 14 students from the university who are participating in Walsh's Global Learning program.

On the back of the card was a letter inviting the pope to join them for dinner at their residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. Castel Gandolfo is the pope's summer residence.

"It would just make our trip even more special if we could treat you to a meal on our campus, just to show you how much we look up to you and appreciate all you do for us and the Church," the letter said. "It would be such an honor for us to meet you, and we cannot even express how much we would love for you to come. We will even take requests for whatever you would like to have for dinner!"

When the card was finished, Rion and Wagner decided they would try to present it to the pontiff at his general audience in St. Peter's Square.

The students got there at 6 a.m. to get a good spot along the motorcade route. A row of people who didn't speak English already were standing along the barricades lining the highway. The students were able to make themselves understood as they explained to the people that they wanted to give the card to the pope.

"They allowed me to stand next to the barrier," Rion said.

When the Popemobile came past, it stopped in front of the Walsh students so Francis could kiss a baby on the other side of the street. "The people in front of me yelled, 'Pope Francis, we have something for you,'" Rion said.

Their shouting got the attention of one of his guards, who came over and asked if the students wanted to give the card to the pope. They said yes.

"I got to give it to him," Rion said. "It was amazing."

There is no word yet on whether Francis will accept their dinner invitation.

The Walsh students have been in Italy for seven weeks. In that time, Rion has been to Venice, Florence, Sorrento, Sicily, and Athens, Greece.

The students are education majors and have had the opportunity to visit a Montessori school in Rome, a Hebrew school and a school in Greece.

Rion, a 2010 graduate of Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School, is the daughter of Mary and Kraig Rion of Dover.

One of the professors on the trip was her principal at St. Joseph Elementary in Dover, Constance Smith of Magnolia. Smith now teaches at Walsh.

Rion's favorite experience? "My family is from a small town in Sicily — Montaperto," she said. "I got to go to that town. I am the first family member to go there since we emigrated to the United States."

The students will fly back to the United States Dec. 20 and will be home in time for Christmas.

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